Lord Strathcona Elementary School

592 East Pender Street

Vancouver, B.C. V6A 1V5
Tel: 604-713-4630 Fax: 604-713-4633
webpage www.strathcona.vsb.bc.ca
NEWSLETTER#8 May 2016
Director of Instruction: Ms. Ellen Roberts
Principal: Ms. Harjinder Sandhu
Liaison Trustee: Mr. Christopher Richardson
Vice Principal: Mr. Jesse Brown
PAC Chairpersons: Ms. Francesca Benedetti and Mr. David Chen

During our April Pro-D day, a number of families and our Aboriginal Enhancement Worker,
Donna Lokhorst joined Lorraine Holubowich from Strathcona Community Centre on a field
trip! Families visited the TuWusht Garden. There an elder discussed with them the planting
and use of traditional medicines and foods. This was followed by getting their hands dirty
and working the soil. Participants were able to help
get the soil ready for planting. Our group was able to
plant corn. After the planting, everyone was treated
to a small feast of salmon, herbs and tea from the
garden. The group had such a wonderful time. The
next trip is planned for May 10th. Please see
Lorraine in the community centre or Donna at the
school for more information. During the next visit
families will participate in a Blessing of the Land
Ceremony.

Daily school attendance is important for all students. Students who attend school regularly are more
engaged in learning, have a greater sense of belonging to the community and are more likely to graduate
high school. Perfect attendance should be a goal because even missing two days of school a month works
out to a student missing the equivalent of one month of school a year. We are concerned that irregular
attendance will continue to be an issue. Research shows that 18 school days missed can lead to one grade
lost. Your child should attend school every day unless there is an unavoidable cause such as illness.
When children arrive at school on time they start the day off
more positively. When children attend school consistently
they are able to build stronger relationships with their
teachers and classmates.

Congratulations to all of these students who trained with Ms.

Quan, Mrs. Leung, Mr. Jensen, and Ms. Sandhu this season and
then made it out to the Mini Sun Run. Thank you also to Mrs. Chow
and Ms. Lee who also joined us for the run.

September 2016
Kindergarten Registration
For those children that were
born in 2011, it is time to
register for Kindergarten! Please come
to the office to register your child. It is
important that you bring along with you,
your childs Birth Certificate (original),
Immunization Record, Care Card &
Proof of Residency.
Applications/registration forms are
available in the school office. Check
out the VSB website:
http://www.vsb.bc.ca/kindergarten
for more information.

SCHOOL ORGANIZATION 2016-2017

We are starting the process of
establishing our enrolment
projections for the 2016-17 school
year. It is extremely important for us
to know who is not returning to our
school next year. Please notify the
office if you are planning to move.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Changing Contact Info?
Please notify the office of any
changes to your phone numbers,
address and emergency contact
ASAP

The staff at Strathcona spend a lot of time considering the placement of the students for the following school year. We

work hard to create the best possible learning environment for your child. We consider many variables in our decisions:
academic progress, individual learning styles and needs, interactions with peers, a balance of gender, information
provided by parents regarding earning styles, as well as other factors.
If you would like to submit input for your childs placement for the 2016-2017 school year, please consider the following:
We ask only for input on the type of learning environment you feel best suits your child and a couple of names of other
students who your child works well with. We will not be accepting requests for individual teachers. The final decision,
however, rests with the school and we need your support in this area as our teachers do a superb job in placing
children. Forms can be picked up in the office and completed forms need to be submitted to the office by
Friday, May 27,2016.

May PAC Meeting - Tuesday May 10th 6pm Dinner & 6:30pm Meeting.

PAC AGM and Executive Election

Our last PAC Meeting (and Annual General Meeting) is on Tuesday, June 7th at 6:30pm in the
library. This is a very important meeting as we elect the PAC Executive for 2016/2017. PAC
meetings are always a great way to stay current on PAC business and to meet other parents.
Please make the time to join us if you are able!

May 2nd - School Planning Day - No school for students

May 10th - PAC Meeting
May 19th - Sports Day
May 20th - District Closure Day - No school for kids
May 23th - Victoria Day - No school for kids
May 25th - Volunteer Tea (8:30-9:30 am)
May 26th - Community Shoe Giveaway with Bobs (gymnasium 3:00-6:00)

Thank you to our wonderful partners at Science World and the Strathcona Community Centre, we
are able to offer our students the opportunity to engage in hands on learning. Each year we have
two sessions of nine workshops each of experiential learning at school, followed by a field trip to
Science World. This is a no cost program that is very popular with our students. One of many the
highlights are the school trip and the family night at Science World.

There are many summer programs available for students this summer.
Local day camps include:
Strathcona Summer Day camps & programs,
Ray Cam Summer Adventures
SFU One to One Reading tutors
Britannia Summer programs,
VSB Summer school programming information is also available in our office. Many classes have
filled with registrations already. If you wish your child/ren to attend any of these programs, please
pick up a brochure in the office, or discuss the options for your child with your childs teacher(s) or
school support staff. Bursaries and financial supports are available for most programs. Please
inquire if you wish more information.
The VSB provides many summer opportunities for students. Please check out the variety of flyers
located in the Main School foyer. You can also check online at www.continuinged.ca

If your child has lost anything this year please come out and check the lost
and found. Recently many items have been added. We do not know if all of
these items have just recently found there way back or if someone is donating them. Please note that the lost and found is only for those items. If you have extra items that you wish to share we
ask that you use the community agencies to make those donations. We are currently trying to clean up our Clothing
Room as we get ready for seismic moves. At this time we are not collecting gently used items as donations. We will
however be donating all items that are not claimed in the next few weeks so please do stop by

Seismic Update
Construction is proceeding as planned with the Auditorium and cafeteria slated
for use by the school at the start of the 2015-16 school year in September. Unfortunately, our move into the upgraded Junior building will not occur until later in
the fall. As soon as we find out the move date, we will be sharing with our school
community.

Chinese speaking Parent Internet Safety Workshop

There will be an Internet safety workshop for Chinese speaking parents on Wednesday,
May 11 from 12:30-2:00pm in the Community Centr e Activity Room. Childcar e will
be provided. For more information please call Tracy at 604-713-5518.

STRATHCONA COMMUNITY CENTRE THE

SHARINGCIRCLE

The Leadership Committee will be hosting members of the community each week on Friday from 1:45pm until 3:45pm at
The Sharing Table. This will be a part of an overall welcome area, where we plan to offer beverages and a snack to people at the market or others who are visiting the center on that day.

The Sharing Table is meant to build community and relationships. We hope that by sharing
something of ones self with others you will draw attention toward the value and beauty of each
and every person in our community.
Sharing:
Photo albums
Coloring mandalas
Sharing smoothies
Planting seedlings
Braiding hair
Recipe sharing/Swap
Creating a cookbook with your neighbors
Demonstrating/offering a skill
Creating a cookbook with your neighbors
Demonstrating/offering a skill
Knitting
Crocheting
Weaving
Candle wax dipping
Working with cedar
. . . . . . . . . the list is endless

Listening
Relaxation methods
Threading
Basic hand sewing skills
Making something for charity
Nail care and polish
Offering Resource Information
Sports in BC
Low cost groceries and meals in Vancouver
Family drop in Vancouver
Best thrift stores in town . . . . . . . and so much more
Birthday party themes and cakes, for school aged children

Dates available: May 13,20,27 Jun 3,10,17,24 (the missing dates are full)

All ages and multi-generations sharing together are welcomed.

YMCA SUMMER CAMPS
Summer is a time for kids to play, run, get outside and have fun with friends. For more than 100 years,
the YMCA has provided camp adventures that help kids learn about themselves, grow in self-confidence
and gain new skills in a safe and caring environment. From overnight camps with
activities like archery, climbing, sailing and canoeing, to day camps full of out trips,
arts & crafts, sports and gameswe have something for everyone. We hope youll
join us!
The nearest YMCA day camp location to insert name Elementary is the Hastings or
Franklin YMCA day camps.
To learn more or register, visit gv.ymca.ca. gv.ymca.ca/camps.

Community Kids Shoe Giveaway - Save the Date

On Thursday, May 26th from 3:00-6:00 we will have a shoe
giveaway event in the gym. Shoes will be available for school age
children. The event will be hosted by Bobs and they will be bringing
the shoes, snacks and a DJ to make the event a ton of fun. Please be
on the lookout for flyers with more information as it
becomes available.